Application programs typically include message logging engines which log messages related to the operation of the application program. A complex application may include many modules and processes distributed across many separate machines, each of which may be generating a log file. Thus, there can be many dozens or even hundreds of log files or more depending upon the size of the computing environment in which the application is deployed. A single log file may include thousands upon thousands of entries.
Because of the vast number of messages that may be logged by different components and processes of the application, it can be very difficult for a user to inspect and review the log files in order to discover and diagnose problems related to the application. For example, critical error messages may be buried in a log file alongside many thousands of other messages that are merely informational.
Thus, there is a need to provide systems and techniques for managing messages in log files.
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